It’s the Culture, Stupid: Romney’s Firestorm

A high-profile debate has begun over the relationship between culture and development. While speaking in Jerusalem, presumptive Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney cited The Wealth and Poverty of Nations. The book’s author, Dr. David Landis, is Professor Emeritus of Economic History from Harvard University. Here’s how Romney paraphrased Landis’s thesis:

He says if you can learn anything from the economic history of the world, it’s this: culture makes all the difference. Culture makes all the difference. And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things …

Many economic historians acknowledge that culture is the key to development and poverty. Landis’ position is shared, among others by Max Weber (The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism), Michael Novak (The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism), and Niall Ferguson (Civilization).

Romney’s statements should have engendered a much-needed discussion. Instead, a firestorm erupted. The chief Palestinian peace negotiator, Saeb Erekat, labelled Romney’s remark as “a racist statement that shows a lack of knowledge.” Sadly, many critics, both in the Middle East and in the West, mimicked Erekat’s indictment.

Let’s be clear: Romney’s statement had nothing to do with race. It was a statement about ideas. Is it primarily physical circumstances that create wealth and poverty, or is it the ideas and ideals of a people? It’s time we had a vigorous discussion around these two very different notions. Certainly Romney’s statement was not racist. Both Jews and Arabs are Semitic peoples. Both trace their family tree to Abraham. Those who call Romney’s statement racist are simply choosing to inflame passions rather than engage the issue.

The writing team of the 2002 Arab Human Development Report: Creating Opportunities for Future Generations, led by Dr. Nader Fergany Director of the Almishkat Center for Research of Egypt, sided with those who see culture as the fountain head of development.

Culture and values are the soul of development. They provide its impetus, facilitate the means needed to further it, and substantially define people’s vision of its purposes and ends. Culture and values are instrumental in the sense that they help to shape people’s daily hopes, fears, ambitions, attitudes and actions, but they are also formative because they mould people’s ideals and inspire their dreams for a fulfilling life for themselves and future generations. There is some debate in Arab countries about whether culture and values promote or retard development. Ultimately, however, values are not the servants of development; they are its wellspring.

To see how culture shapes the social, economic, and political vibrancy of nations, consider two examples: transparency (versus corruption) and religious freedom.

Where transparency is valued and widely practiced, freedom and prosperity are nurtured. Corruption, on the other hand, has been one of the catalysts for the so-called “Arab Spring.” The 2011 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index shows the relatively high corruption of the Arab cultures of the Middle East and North Africa compared to the relatively low corruption of the Judeo-Christian cultures of Western Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. (This interactive site allows you to look at specific countries.) Clearly, countries founded in Judeo-Christian theism have greater transparency and integrity than those with Islamic cultural background.

The second example is religious freedom (or, for that matter, freedom of conscience, of speech and of the press). Again, those countries with Judeo-Christian cultural roots enjoy the highest degree of religious freedom (and the corresponding freedoms) while those with Islamic culture have the least. Dr. Paul Marshall is senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom. His graphic below shows the profound gap in religious freedom between those nations with Judeo-Christian culture and those with Muslim culture. (This table was excerpted from Marshall’s essay on The Range of Religious Freedom resourced in Roger Alford’s paper Religious Freedom By Religious Background).

We need the courage to stand against today’s tide and speak of common sense realities. The root of poverty is not found in a country’s level of resources. Singapore, the tiny island state off the coast of Malaysia, has no natural resources. What is more, given her five million people on an island 40 kilometers long, she has one of the highest population densities in the world. From a materialistic paradigm, with all those mouths to feed and no resources, one would expect Singapore to be in dire poverty. Instead she is one of the wealthiest nations in the world. The per capita GDP of Singapore is 21% higher than that of the United States, a vast land abounding in material resources. Singapore’s secret? the metaphysical and social capital of her people. Her people and their creativity and innovation are the source of her material prosperity.

People who care about the poor would do well to reject the paradigm of materialism, cultural relativism, and political correctness. These may convey the sense of being on the “moral high ground” but in fact do little to help the poor. Indeed, they exacerbate poverty by creating dependency between communities and nations.

The root of wealth and poverty of a nation is found in the culture, the moral vision of the nation. Though the world may not want to hear it and the governing elites may not want him to say it, Romney is right!

Culture, not material circumstances, is the soul, the wellspring of development.

Darrow Miller

Darrow Miller is co-founder of the Disciple Nations Alliance and a featured author and teacher. For over 25 years, Darrow has been a popular conference speaker on topics that include Christianity and culture, apologetics, worldview, poverty, and the dignity of women.

From 1981 to 2007 Darrow served with Food for the Hungry International, and from 1994 as Vice President. Before joining FH, Darrow spent three years on staff at L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland where he was discipled by Francis Schaeffer. He also served as a student pastor at Northern Arizona University and two years as a pastor of Sherman Street Fellowship in urban Denver, CO.

In addition to earning his Master’s degree in Adult Education from Arizona State University, Darrow pursued graduate studies in philosophy, theology, Christian apologetics, biblical studies and missions in the United States, Israel and Switzerland.

Darrow has authored numerous studies, articles, Bible studies and books, including
• Discipling Nations: The Power of Truth to Transform Culture
• Nurturing the Nations: Reclaiming the Dignity of Women for Building Healthy Cultures
• LifeWork: A Biblical Theology for What You Do Every Day

Darrow's latest book, Emancipating the World: A Christian Response to Radical Islam and Fundamentalist Atheism released in 2012.

Recommended Resource

Christians today are engaged in a dual conflict. In the West, fundamentalist atheism has replaced a biblical framework with moral relativism, spreading immorality around the world. From the East, radical Islam is waging jihad against the materialistic West, seeking to establish Islamic rule. How should Christians respond?
Darrow Miller challenges us to immerse the nations in kingdom culture, anticipating the consummation of Christ’s reign. We are to battle tyranny with love and service and battle lies with truth, goodness, and beauty. The great challenges of our age present an even greater opportunity: emancipating the world through Christ.